1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a recording apparatus adapted to print on a recording tape, and more particularly to such a tape printer equipped with a cutter mechanism for cutting the printed tape covered by a backing or release tape.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
A tape printer of the type indicated above is known. In one known form of this type of tape printer, a recording tape is covered by a backing or release tape. The covered tape is hereinafter referred to as a multi-layered tape. The leading portion of the multi-layered tape is fed out of the printer body. The backing tape is either bonded to a printed length of the recording tape by means of an adhesive layer provided therebetween or, alternatively, the printing is effected on a multi-layered tape which includes a recording tape and a backing tape bonded to the recording tape. Usually, the printed length of the multi-layered tape is cut into segments, so that the cut segments are used. An example of such a cutter mechanism is illustrated in FIG. 16, wherein a cam pin 212 engaging a movable cutter 214 is oscillated by a drive motor 208 via a gear train 210, whereby the movable cutter 214 is moved toward a stationary cutter 215 so that a multi-layered tape 216 is cut by the cutters 214, 215. To secure the cut segment of the tape 216 to a desired object surface, the corresponding portion of the backing tape is removed from the cut segment, so as to expose the corresponding portion of the adhesive layer.
When the backing tape portion is removed from the cut segment, one of the opposite end portions of the backing tape portion should first be separated from the corresponding end portion of the recording tape, by a finger nail or pincette or tweezers, so that the separated end portion of the backing tape portion is finger-gripped to peel the backing tape portion off the adhesive layer. This procedure for removing the backing tape portion is relatively difficult. Further, when the cut printed tape segment with the exposed adhesive layer is bonded to the object surface by the adhesive, the opposite end portions of the printed tape segment should be finger-gripped to position the segment on the object surface, while stretching the segment. In this instance, the end portions of the adhesive layer tend to stick to the fingers, causing difficulty in separating the fingers from the adhesive layers. Further, finger marks or fingerprints tend to be left on the end portions of the adhesive layer, whereby the appearance of the printed tape segment as bonded to the object surface is deteriorated, particularly where the recording tape is a transparent tape.